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Rancid / NOFX

Live in Anaheim, CA
2002
live show

Review by: MrKenzington
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Published on May 7th 2002

When I heard that Rancid and NOFX would be playing a series of shows in Southern California, I was ecstatic. For one, it's not often that you get the opportunity to see two bands of this magnitude tour together in a small club setting. And secondly, let's face it, other than last year's tour with AFI and the Warped Tour, how often does Rancid go on tour? The answer to that is not often. So, without hesitation, I purchased 5 tickets to one show in Anaheim (The Grove), 3 shows in L.A. (House of Blues) and one show in Pomona (Glass House) to see my favorite band (Rancid) tear through nearly a ten year history of incredible punk rock anthems. Instead of reviewing all five shows (which so happened to all be fucking incredible), the following review will cover the first show, which took place at the Grove, in Anaheim,CA.

With great anticipation and excitement, I stepped into the Grove to see F-Minus open up the night's show. F-Minus tore through their set with a series of hardcore songs that seemed to resonate with many kids, but also seemed to escape many of the listeners at the venue. While most of the crowd simply viewded the hardcore stylings of F-Minus from a stagnant distance, some of the more hardcore kids in the crowd started a small pit and danced to the So Cal thrash that F-Minus put forth for all to enjoy. Brad Logan went off and so did the rest of his band, as they shredded from one song to the next. While I do not consider myself a big fan of F-Minus (maybe I'm not punk enough), I can truly appreciate their passion and energy that they put forth into their set.

Next up was a band called the Real McKenzies. Before this night's show, I had never seen, nor heard of the Real McKenzies. Was I ever in for a pleasant surprise. At first, as I watched the Real McKenzies take the stage, I could only think of one thing: DropKick Murphy's rip offs. Dressed in Scottish Kilts, and opening the night's set with their bagpipes player, I was extremely skeptical. Before long, I was converted into a genuine fan. With tremendous energy and passion, the Real Mckenzies oppened their set with a song called "Nessie", a Scottish song about none other than the Lochness Monster. Following that song, came other songs that detailed heartbreak, the bitch Queen of England, and of course, the McKenzies favorite topic, Scotch Whiskey. All in all, I was extremely impressed with the Real McKenzies. Watching their lead singer beat the shit out of their bagpipes player, and watching their guitar players tear through a series of songs was pure entertainment. Definitely a band that you feel fortunate to see open up a show that you are already excited to see. After their set I wasted no time in purchasing their new CD,"Loch'd and Loaded," and would recommend it for all who like a fun CD to listen to now and again.

Next up for the night's show was NOFX. What can you say about these guys? I love NOFX and I love the energy that they bring to a punk rock show. Playing such songs as Bob, Stickin in My Eye, Linoleum, Fuck the Kids, the Brews, Six Pack Girls and countless others, NOFX set the fucking place off as everyone started to pit to their sounds that have influenced countless numbers of punk rock bands. From their stage pressence, to their endless bullshitting and joke cracking on stage, NOFX entertained all as they played years and years worth of fucking punk rock classics. El Hefe shredded on guitar as Fat Mike ripped through his bass lines while the entire crowd danced in a frenzy and pitted to songs that only NOFX could be known for. Much credit goes out to Erik Melvin as he closed out the set with his accordian solo that accompanied the NOFX theme song. I was extremely impressed by the set that NOFX put on. I've always found NOFX to be a fun band to watch live, but something was different this time. Maybe it was the shear amount of songs that NOFX covered spanning their history as a band, or maybe it was their chemistry on stage as a band, but I left this show with the feeling that NOFX was a band that I would always respect and hold close as being one of my favorites.

Next up was the band that I honestly came to see all along.......RANCID. I won't lie, Rancid has been my favorite band for approximately 10 years and the excitement that I felt in regards to seeing them this night is basically unexplainable. Coming out onto the stage, I felt the excitement and energy of the crowd as I watched Tim, Brett, Matt and Lars take the stage. Wasting no time, they tore into "Radio, Radio, Radio," and the crowd went fucking nuts. Watching Tim fly off speakers, Matt master the bass, Brett pound the drums and Lars belt out song after song was nearly more than I could take, as I found myself winded and ready to pass out after so much singing and dancing. Truly an incredible night, I listened in awe as Rancid played songs such as Nihilism, Old Friend, Side Kick, Jimmy and Johnny, The Wars End, Time Bomb, It's Quite Alright, Loki, Hyena (old school motherfucker), Rejected, Roots and Radicals, St. Mary and countless others. A special highlight of the night had to be Rancid playing "Seven Years Down", a song that they claimed they had never plalyed before, and a song that I have waited eight years to hear them play live. Words truely can't explain the performance that Rancid put on at this night at the Grove. With very little talk between each song that they played, Rancid destroyed the Grove with pure punk rock passion and agression. Bodies flew recklessly around the pit, kids sang the songs together in unity and others just nodded and smiled as one of punk's great bands ripped through song after song that chronicled their 5 album history. As for me, I danced, I sang, I gasped and I watched as my favorite band displayed the emotion, excitement, passion and enthusiasm that drew me to them so many years ago. Looking back, I'm thankful that I was able to attend so many shows of this tour, because it was incredible. To steal a quote, I'd like to sign off by saying "When I got the music, I got a place to go." What a great tour.

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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 20, 2005 at 4:22 PM (EST)

Someone said:

"I'm a big fan from PRC, I never see a rancid show. only one time on a VCR.
but i think RANCID is the best band in the world. not same mucis but most great like the CLASH."

Hmm funny - lars once said sommat like "people who say rancid are like the clash are the people who drive fuckin' bmw's with anarchy stickers on the bumpers..."

Very true.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 16, 2003 at 4:38 PM (EDT)
My Score:

To all those that go to concerts with mohawks and denim jackets with logos safety pinned to them:
please shower, shampoo, and burn everything in your closet that predates the internet.
You don't walk around school or downtown like that do you? Oh - you do? You probably think you're pretty hardcore then. Good luck with that.
If that's the only lifestyle you can lead to be a true punk than count me the fuck out.

I hate Rancid, I'm mildly indifferent about Nofx, if you were curious.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 28, 2003 at 9:16 PM (EDT)
My Score:

dude,dropkick is not any where as near as folk as real mckenzies,dkm is Oi! with a dash of folk ,they bring the folk to punk not the punk to folk and thats the way it should be

Posted by Toniss on 2003-03-31 13:56:04
My Score:

NOFX rock !! it's the only thing I can say for now.. they rock.. they kick ass

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, June 12, 2002 at 7:46 AM (EDT)
My Score:

Y you're always says that fat mike and nofx sucks!!! Weren't they, along with fuckingreat Bad Religion, who becames punk scene more pop?!!
I think you're gay and fat mike kick your ass....so it's normal you're being upset....try Boy George!!!!

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 20, 2002 at 10:41 AM (EDT)
My Score:

You people need to learn that fat mike rambles and says what he wants, he doesn't give a fuck what anyone else thinks or if anyone agrees with him.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, May 19, 2002 at 5:12 PM (EDT)
My Score:

the real mckenzies are scottish music not irish. trad irish music does not have bagpipes in it, that is a rip off. the real mckenzies have been around longer than the dropkick murphys, they're just not american.

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 18, 2002 at 10:29 AM (EDT)
My Score:

I'm a big fan from PRC, I never see a rancid show. only one time on a VCR.
but i think RANCID is the best band in the world. not same mucis but most great like the CLASH.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 16, 2002 at 1:59 PM (EDT)
My Score:

fuck all you panzy bitches nofx is the fukkin shit fat mike owns you and your mothers

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 15, 2002 at 11:17 PM (EDT)
My Score:

lets see here. rancid...a band i respect goes and does a split cd with one of the most cliche punk bands ever. nofx has some of the worst vocals and lyrics i have ever heard. they really blow, if you want to hear nofx style punk that is actucally good..then check out drexel. rancid....used to be cool, now they are getting lame as shit. come on, doing a split with nofx...oh god. rancid's cd life wont wait was great, although they were trying to be the clash just a tiny bit. i will always say nofx blows, and for the most part "punk" is just getting too bland these days, nofx is not a fresh breath of air for punk music.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 13, 2002 at 5:09 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I've been to plenty 'o punk shows and I still think pits are fuckin dumb, you were surprised it was limp biskit guys in the pit? Isn't it always? Pits are always full of the meatheads of the fuckin scene, mostly dumbfuck high school kids

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 13, 2002 at 5:04 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I would like to say to Anonimous, that as a punk guy YOU?RE A SHIT!!!
lol, you've been listening since you were sixteen and you still can't get it in your brain that nofx sucks ass? And you'd drive 450 miles to see them? Sucks to be you. Move to america and you can see some real bands and you wont have to drive through 4 countries to do it. By the way how come they don't play close to you? Its cuz they're only going to the big money towns, how punk is that? Real punk bands would play fuckin anywhere. like i said before, fuck fat mike and his shitty pop label

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 13, 2002 at 2:11 PM (EDT)
My Score:

i went to the show at the grove and i thought it was amazing. that's probably only because nofx and rancid are my two favorite bands. i have lived in a concert deprived place (the central valley, ca.) my whole life, so this was my first time seeing either band. nofx is my favorite band and it's sad to say but their show didn't live up to my expectations. i thought the set list wasn't as good as it could have been and it never seemed to really get going. i'd have to say that the best part was when they played the last couple minutes of the decline.
the best way to describe rancid is that they are one of the best bands i've ever seen. they've been playing for a long time but they still seem really excited about performing (i can't really say that for nofx) and their set list was awesome.
overall i think the show was great, but i hated being at the show. it was probably one of the worst crouds i have ever been in. lars kept begging for a circle pit and when one finally started it was horrible. it seemed like it was full of a bunch of people who accidentally showed up at a punk show instead of a limp biskit concert. at least lars yelled at some kids who were starting to fight. i'm all for exposing punk rock to new people, if rancid never got on the radio i might not like it today. but if you're new at a punk show stay out of the pit until you understand it.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 13, 2002 at 11:15 AM (EDT)
My Score:

I would like to say to Anonimous, that as a punk guy YOU?RE A SHIT!!!
I'm 26 y.o. and i listen punk rock since i had 16......NOFX just rule it...!!
Your problem is having all this extraodinary bands playing in your town, and u don't give them what they need....respect!!
I'm from Portugal and to see NOFX, BAD RELIGION, LAGWAGON and others i always have to make 450 miles!!!
Now i call this respect and love for Punk cause!!!!

Do us a favor, Keep your mouth shut!!

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, May 13, 2002 at 2:44 AM (EDT)
My Score:

all i've gotta say is fuck fat mike and his dumb fuckin band. Rancids still the shit, although I hear they're doing a fucking side project with BLINK 182?!?!? shittttttttttttttt

Posted by Fuzzy on 2002-05-12 00:55:05
My Score:

SKunx is right
I may not dig on the NOFX, but I have to respect them...they are doing something right...

and Fat Mike's ramblings should ALWAYS be taken with a grain of salt...he's known for his fucking with people (he WRITES NOFX songs, after all)...and probably hoped that everyone there was intelligent enough to think for themselves!!

I have to say I am one jealous motherfucker too...
being only 20, and only getting the punkrock bite a few years ago after metal moved to shit...

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 11, 2002 at 2:25 PM (EDT)
My Score:

amen skunx31...well said, and im 29 by the way

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, May 11, 2002 at 1:57 PM (EDT)
My Score:

how old are all you people who are reviewing/commenting on these shows??? the way you all are bickering between yourselves, i get the impression that i am reading a bunch of teenage "i am punker than thou" rants. get a grip. who gives a fuck about what words are used to describe your feelings, or which band has been around longer or what not. i am 32 years old (probably old enough to be your dad to most of you) and have seen hundreds of punk shows over the last 18 years. and one thing remains the same over all these years: it's all about the music and the message. true, fat mike's ramblings do become trite after awhile (talk about spoon-feeding the masses...) but nofx has been, is, and will be one of the most creative, clever, talented, inspiring and all-out fucking-rock-your-ass-off bands, punk or otherwise. and don't even BEGIN to fuck with rancid. they are the motherfuckin' real deal - they have cut their teeth and paid their dues, so give them the respect they rightfully deserve. if you hate them, oh well, that's your opinion; there are plenty of goldfingers and sum 41's around to satisfy your sugar-coated flaovor-of-the day palates. point-counterpoints welcome at: skunx31@aol.com

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 10, 2002 at 5:04 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Philip blows.

Posted by Phillip on 2002-05-10 14:40:46
My Score:

Rancid blows. NoFX blows. Enough said.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 9, 2002 at 6:33 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Good fucking shows indeed. I agree with your review, dead on. Rancid was the shit everynight that I saw them (Sat and Sun). NoFX wasn't shabby either. Nice WWF reference to the dickhead below. If you're watching that shit, maybe it's you that needs to put the lube down.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 9, 2002 at 5:46 PM (EDT)
My Score:

The writer sounds like he was seriously inebriated and vomiting when he wrote this. He also sounds like he has a severe identity problem. Dr. Kenzington? Sounds like some WWF Wrestler. Is he like "The Miz"? I heard that guy gets kinda crazy when he's drunk, too. I recommend Dr. Kenzington lay off the Vaseline and get a real girlfriend.

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, May 9, 2002 at 2:10 PM (EDT)
My Score:

To all you who went to the show: YOU LUCK BASTARDS.
And all you fucks who think Nofx is trendy or they put on a trendy set you must have some sort of mental deficiency. I saw them in March and it was the best show that I have been to.

And to the people who bitch about the people who dont go into the pit, (I myself am not one of those people) FUCK YOU. not all people have to enjoy music by going into a circle pit. Going into them doesn't mean your more "punk" than anybody else.

"Who the fuck are you anyway?"

Posted by lou-s on 2002-05-08 20:40:49
My Score:

... but don't you know, "pitted" isn't good hard-fucking-core punk lingo, only poseur's use it... pphhh, obviously you need to consult your "Dictionary of Punk Words, Terms, and Phrases"

(if you don't get the sarcasm in that you need to shoot yourself in the face 'cause you really are that stupid)

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 8, 2002 at 3:21 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Well you caught my attention...I absolutely LOVE Rancid and NoFX, you are one lucky Bastard. Right on!

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 8, 2002 at 12:00 PM (EDT)
My Score:

Great review and great shows. I was able to go to two of the House of Blues shows and was extremely impressed by the incredible sets that Rancid put on. One thing, don't you know it would have been so much better to use the term "Circle Pitted"? Fuck off to the asshole who couldn't get past the word "Pitted".

Posted by mrkenzington on 2002-05-08 11:53:13
My Score:

Relax. I'm quite aware that the Real McKenzies have been around longer than Dropkick. After the show, I looked them up and found that they had been around substanially longer. True, my intial reaction, having never seen them before, was that they reminded me a little of Dropkick right off the bat. If you'll read into what I wrote though, I was obviously quite wrong to make that assumption and know better now. To the asshole who doesn't like the word pitted, maybe next time I can break out my show vocabulary syllabus that satisfies your punk requirements. Fuck off.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 8, 2002 at 11:30 AM (EDT)
My Score:

He said "pitted". My god.

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, May 8, 2002 at 7:37 AM (EDT)
My Score:

NoFX and Rancid are the best bands of the world but there's one special: WIZO. I'd like to seem them here in Germany...I'm gonna get to go! Thank Ya! What about Rancid's new record?

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 11:55 PM (EDT)
My Score:

You nailed it. I went to the last L.A. show and was going fucking nuts watching the Rancid set. It was truly a great night of music.

Posted by anarchy_adam on 2002-05-07 23:12:03
My Score:

"as I watched the Real McKenzies take the stage, I could only think of one thing: DropKick Murphy's rip offs"

Eat Shit. The Real Mckenzies have been doing this shit WAY longer than the dropkicks. Seriously. Do some research.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 11:07 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I was at the 4/19 HoB show and man, did it kick ass!

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 9:38 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I have to admit this was the best tour possibly in all of music's history. I was fortunate enough to get tickets to 3 of the 5 shows (Grove, HOB LA, and the the Glass House). In my opinion the worst show i went to was this one at the grove. The venue is awful and the place is just to dam big.
NOFX's set was a real dissapointment, they did not play enough songs from their best 2 albums: Ribbed and White Trash, Two Heebs, and a Bean. I think that this was their worst performance that I saw at the three shows i went to.
They did however put on better shows at the House of Blues and the Glass House.

Rancid played a powerful and fast paced set. When they came out on stage Lars introduced the band. And added "And I am Lars Frederiksen and I am wasted." After that they went into "Radio" which in my opinion the best song ever written. The place went nuts. After that they went into Roots Radical and from their went from song to song. A highlight of the night was when Lars sang and played "The Wars End" as a solo. He really seemed to connect with the crowd. The only problem I had with their set was that they closed with the radio favorite "Ruby Soho", but oh well. They were amazing at all their shows I went to.

The main highlight of the show was that I caught the only Rancid set list that was thrown out.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 5:32 PM (EDT)
My Score:

1st San Diego Show

The Distillers: Okay, I'm a fan of any band you can circle pit to. The songs don't deviate much from one another but if you can go off at a show, that's the only business.

NOFX: For all of us who wanted to circle pit, this set fucking licked. All the trendy crusties stormed the dance floor and there was absolutely no room to move around. The only thing more annoying than the pit area was Fat Mike and his shithead ramblings. This dick is intolerant of anyone who doesn't think like him. He told all the impressionable kids that punk used to all be about standard politics (and hence thinking the same). I guess punk isn't about being an individual and doing what you want, it's about thinking the way Fat Mike wants you to. Fucking intolerant asshole.

Rancid: Rancid rules the universe. Fortunately, most of those fakin' jamacain, MTV-punk rock-learning kids were too scared to venture into the pit and as soon as Rancid hit, the band busted into Radio and a circle pit exploded. Rancid played two dozen songs and incorporated the audience into sing alongs. We were able to maintain the circle pit/ dance floor for most of the set. For everyone who really gets the deal and wants to express themselves at shows, the Rancid set could never be topped.

Posted by mrkenzington on 2002-05-07 16:49:32
My Score:

I have to agree with you regarding the Grove as a venue. In my opinion, it's basically a less than ideal place to see a show. Those four levels of floors are basically worthless seeing as how they are only about 15 feet wide. Standing on fucking carpet is a bit odd as well. In a perfect world, I would have liked to have seen these shows at the Palladium or the Palace. At least there would have been more room to move, and less of the feeling that your a sardine......

Posted by rickets on 2002-05-07 14:46:13
My Score:

The Grove blows. I think its one of the worst venues to see shows. I went to three shows and had to sit through those stupid fucks, The Real Mckenzies. He showed his dong to the crowd all three nights and it made me want to puke. NOFX wasn't that good that night because they played mainly trendy and slow shit. They even said it themselves the next night in LA, the best show of the tour in my opinion. Rancid was fucking awesome that night and my respect for them has really grown after this tour.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 1:02 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I'm not

Posted by CallingLondon on 2002-05-07 12:43:25
My Score:

i'm so jealous

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 12:10 PM (EDT)
My Score:

I just have to say fuck all you bastards in SoCal. Five Rancid/NOFX shows, I am jealous. You bastards!! I saw rancid on the warped tour and they fucking destroyed. Wish I coulda been there.

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 7, 2002 at 1:57 AM (EDT)
My Score:

bitchin review..i was at that show, but i left before rancid started. the real mckenzies were fucking awesome